Surgical instrument



N0. 6|6,259. Patented Dec. 20, I898.

L. H. ROGERS.

SURGICAL INSTRUMENT.

Application filed. July 10, 1896.)

(No Model.)

Nrrnn STATES Enron.

PATENT SURGICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 616,259, dated December 20, 1898.

Application filed July 10,1896. Serial No. 598,763. (No model) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS HOWELL Roe- ERS, a citizen of the United States, residingat Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a certain new and useful Surgical Instrument,- of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification, reference being had to the ac comp'anying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in that class of surgical instruments known as dilators and speeulums; and the object of my invention is to produce an instrument of this kind which is adapted 'for self-use by a patient in stretching the sphincter muscle of the rectum or other orifice of the body.

With my appliance the patient can conveniently insert the dilator into the anus and then expand it with great ease and convenience to that extent which will forcibly stretch the sphincter muscle, so that a rapid circulation of the blood will ensue and the whole body be brought into a warm and healthy glow.

An object of my invention is to so construct the device that when the appliance is ready for insertion it will be practically held against rotation upon the handle, so that the patient can easily insert it; but when inserted the patient can expand the dilator to the desired extent by simple rotation of the handle.

My invention consists in a dilator embracing a handle having a right and left screwthreaded portion, the right-and-left threads of which both run from one end of said screwthreaded portion toward the other end thereof, crossing each other, and two dilator-blades, one of which is provided with a right nut and the other with a left nut and both screwed upon the screw-threaded portion and leaving between them, when the screw is entered upon the second nut, a space greater than the required travel of the two blades in practical operation, so that by turning the screw sufficiently in one direction the blades will be jammed together intermediate the ends of the screw-threaded portion, and thus be there temporarily fixed against rotation, but subject to be thrown apart by turning the screw in the reverse direction.

In order that the appliance may be readily taken apart and put together by the patient and to give to the patient a guide by which the blades will always be at the center when in their jammed closed position, I make the screw-threaded portion of the handle larger than the stem of the handle, so that in placing the blades upon the handle the patient will first screw the screw-threaded portion almost entirely through one of the nuts, and then by turning the handle will draw the blades simultaneously toward each other, so that they will meet and jam together midway of the screw. The right and left screwthreads are both of the same pitch, so that both of the blades travel at the same speed. In this connection I will state that if one of the blades is brought to the inner end of the screw by any means whatsoever and both blades are simultaneously brought onto the screw at opposite ends and the right thread extends from one end toward the other end sufficiently far and the left thread extends from the other end toward the one end sufficiently far, so that the two blades can be jammed together by turning the screwin one direction, it is then immaterial whether or not the right-and-left screws extend sufficiently to cross each other; but for greater convenience the screw-threads cross each other, both running the full length of the enlarged screw-threaded portion.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention. 7

Figure 1 is a side view of my dilator,with two blades having right and left nuts and mount-- ed upon a handle having a screw-threaded portion with right and left screws which extend so that the blades can be jammed together at the middle of the screw-threaded portion. Fig. 2 is a view of the same at right angles to Fig. 1, looking from the left. Fig. 3 is a detached View of the preferred form of right and left threaded screw for operating the combined dilator and speculum. Fig. 4 is a view of one of the dilating-blades, taken from the outside. Fig. 5 is a View of said dilating-blade, taken from the inside.

A indicates the handle or stem ofthe combined dilator and speculum.

B B indicate the dilating-blades. These are complementary. The blade B has a right nut 12, and the blade B has a left nut b.

0 indicates the screw-threaded portion of the handle, and D indicates the thumb-piece for turning the handle to operate the screw.

The screw-threaded portion 0 or O of the handle A is of larger diameter than the main stem of the handle, so that the nuts can be brought to the opposite ends of the screw and the screw entered into both nuts simultaneously. When this is done and the screw is turned, the two blades will approach each other at the same speed and jam each other at the middle of the screw, and thereby become locked or fixed upon the stem midway between the ends of the screw-threaded portion, so that the patient can handle the instrument and insert it with the greatest ease and convenience.

\Vith the form of screw shown in Fig. 3 the instrument is put together by first screwing the screw-threaded portion 0 entirely through one of the nuts, and then the screw is entered into and screwed upon the two nuts simultaneously. lVhen they have been brought to the center, the patient will insert the dilator-blades into the orifice and can then turn the handle to spread the blades. Vhen the dilation has been accomplished and maintained fora sufiicient period of time, the patient will withdraw the dilator.

Now, having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A dilator comprising a handle having a rightand left screw-threaded portion, the right and left threads of which both run from one end of said screw-threaded portiontoward the other end thereof, and crossing each other; two dilator-blades, one of which is provided with a right nut and the other with a left nut, and both screwed upon the screwthreaded portion, and leaving between them, when the screw is entered into both nuts, a space greater than the required travel of the two blades in practical operation.

2. A dilator comprising a handle having a right and left screw threaded portion of greater diameter than the stem of the handle; a right screw-thread extending from one end of the screw threaded portion toward the other end and a left thread extending from the other end of the screw-threaded portion toward the one end; two dilator-blades, one with a left nut and the other with a right nut screwed upon the screw to jam together at the middle of the screw-threaded portion substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. A dilator comprising a handle having a right and left screw threaded portion of greater diameter than the stem of the handle, the right and left threads of which both run from end to end of said screw-threaded portion, crossing each other; two dilator-blades, one of which is provided with a right nut and the other with a left nut and both screwed upon the screw-threaded portion to jam together midway between the ends thereof sub stantially as set forth.

LEWIS IIO\VELL ROGERS.

Witnesses:

W. W. Income, A. B. RICH. 

